I’ve gotta be honest: Answer has been my go-to downhill bar for a long time. Now Answer has a new option for you: semi-custom bars.

Answer released a limited run of 250 bars at Crankworx, and they are beautiful! If you strive to keep your ride unique, what an opportunity to do that with these stunning graphics. At the moment there are two styles available and in the coming months new graphics will follow. Answer will even consider your ideas: contact them directly for more details. (Maybe we need to petition for a Singletracks bar? )

This bars are available in both the half-inch rise and the full-inch rise. Both bars share a 4° upsweep x 8° backsweep that I find perfect for my body shape. Made of 7050 alumininum just like the regular 780 DH bars, these are not a cheaper version, but rather the same great bar with a complex anodizing process used to create the graphics.

Installing them was a breeze, and just a matter of pulling off what was on my bike and swapping them over. Just remember to torque your bolts down properly (usually 6 Nm), and you’re good to go. The sweep works great for most any rider. Rotate the bar until the backsweep lines up with your arms, and you should be golden. I found that setting up my backsweep this way keeps my wrists in the most neutral position with very little stress.

Riding the slopes with these bars is a blast, just like my regular 780DH bars. The only issue I had was trying to stop myself from looking at them while riding. These bars are pretty light for the width, design, and abuse they take. Cutting them down shouldn’t be an issue if you find they are too wide for your body. These bars, like the other 780DHs, have trim marks on either end which make it easy to judge how much you want off. Just remember to measure twice and cut once!

If you’re in the States, contact Answer directly for more information. If you’re in Canada, contact Trident Performance Sports. Hurry though, as these are limited and going fast!

I would like to thank Tom at Answer for sending these bars down for review.

Since February I have been playing around with a few items from Answer. Not the usual bars and stems that I have raved about in the past but more on the soft-goods side of things. Answer sent down a few pairs of gloves for trek7k and I try out this season and I’m finally ready to share my review.

The Fall Line XC glove is a perfect full finger, lightweight glove for the cross country – trail rider. For one thing the fall line glove has a pre-curved palm which makes it easy to break in and helps reduce the annoying bunching that may happen with flat-palmed gloves. Along with the shaped palm you also get strategically placed silicone grippers for positive grip even when it gets wet. The index finger and middle fingers get the silicone treatment for grabbing the chicken switches and the palm has more silicone for gripping the bars.

On top you have two-way stretch nylon, great for airflow even when it’s hot outside. With sizes ranging from small to double extra large and a nice elastic wrist you are ensured a good fit. Answer offers a bunch of colors (Grey, Red, Clay, Dirt, Green, Orange, Tusk) so there is a variety of options to match your kit.

The Strike glove is a three season mitt. The Strike shares a similar curved palm and silicone prints on the fingers but beyond that, this glove is drastically different from the Fall Line. Constructed of 5mm Neoprene and Clarino Amara on the palm, the choice of materials really sets the glove apart for cooler weather with higher insulating values. The longer cuff on the glove also adds to the warmth factor. There’s even terrycloth on the thumbs for those emergency runny nose sessions. If you’re planning on riding in cooler climates these gloves are good for temps down to 25 °F.

Wearing the Strike during winter and spring rides and the Fall Line on my trail and XC rides, I can say these have been both durable and comfortable. I am impressed with the fact that the silicone has lasted this long without signs of wear. The same can be said of the stitching on the gloves themselves.

Using the Fall Line XC on the trails I liked the firm fit and control that the gloves offer. Even after river crossings or muddy trail days the gloves don’t loose their grip or fit. The Strike gloves have even found their way into my car on very cold days, keeping my hands nice and warm while offering a firm grasp on the steering wheel.

You can get the Strike gloves for $40 MSRP and the Fall Lines for $30 which won’t break the bank, especially for such a quality glove.

I would like to thank the folks at Answer for sending these gloves for review.

Here’s a pretty cool solution for those of you who want your bars as low as possible: Answer’s direct-mount -ONE (minus one). The -ONE looks similar to Answer’s DH stem and shares the same wide front cap (at 62mm) but this three-piece bolt on stem also has the ability to change its reach from 50 to 55mm. It’s a neat trick for sure and necessary for Dorado fork owners.

If you look back my previous review of the Answer DH stem, you can see the two stems are strikingly similar. The biggest difference is where the bar sits. On the -ONE stem pictured above you can see half of the bar is below the top clamp of the Dorado fork. This gives the rider more bar choices and also offers lower body position on the bike for improved front-end grip in the corners. I’ve been using the Answer 780 DH low rise bar at 12.7mm for a while now and with the -ONE stem it feels like I’m using a flat bar (unfortunately Answer doesn’t have one yet). As you can see below, the Answer DH stem holds the bar up a bit higher compared to the -ONE.

The attention to detail on the -ONE is great and the time Answer spent reducing weight is much appreciated. The back half of the top cap has been milled out, keeping the mass as low as possible at 160 grams.

Installing the stem on any BoXXer style 4-bolt pattern fork is a piece of cake (Fox, Manitou, Rockshox). When you do install the bar, remember to have the fork crowns correctly torqued before you tighten the stem down. I snugged up all the direct mount bolts first, then aligned the bar before torquing down the top cap as per the included instructions. The final step (which I highly recommend) is to torque the bolts down using a torque wrench, especially if you have a carbon bar. The last thing you want is to crush your bar.

On the trail the -ONE provides a super strong connection to the fork with no creaking or play. By lowering my hand position on my DH rig I was able to extend my fork legs a touch more, giving me a bit more wheel base for better stability at high speeds. The lower position also placed me closer to the bike which felt great in corners. I did have to play a bit with my body positioning to get a comfortable feel when taking air as the lower bar position tended to bring my front end up a touch. At least I have a bit less fear of dropping the front too much!

At $70 MSRP you’re getting a good quality stem with the ability to change the way you ride and yet another dial to tune your bike.

Thanks to the folks at Answer for providing the -ONE for review.

Ohhh yeah! Finally, after what seemed like ages of waiting, my Banshee Legend II is ready to ride – and this past weekend I got to break it in. After the final parts arrived on Wednesday while I was work, I spent the evening getting everything cut, measured, installed, and torqued in place (more on that in a few).

A project bike like the Banshee Legend II is not something you can slap together and hope for the best. It’s important to look at what you’re going to be doing with a bike like this before you even spec the first part. Flying over rock gardens, drops, step ups, and almost anything else, you gotta make sure the bike (and you!) survive.

Just after arriving home from Interbike back in September, I was stoked to unbox the Banshee Legend II frame. At that point I already had some of the major components handy so I got most of the bike assembled. I installed a Cane Creek XXc headset and moved my Dorado fork over to the new rig. With a frame that’s worth a lot of $$, you may want to get a pro to do this part of the build, or at least invest in a headset press. I added an Answer DH direct-mount stem and my favorite handlebars, the Answer 780 DH, which pretty much completed the front end.

For stopping power I installed a set of Formula ONE brakes and the like-new Havoc DH wheel set I had on hand from last year (gotta hand it to Easton for building such a great set of wheels).

Then, a few weeks back a nice box of components arrived at my doorstep from SRAM with X.O shifting and the new Descendant crank (same one Peaty rides with). Now some may wonder why I decided to put a 10-speed drivetrain on a DH bike (many riders may argue a 9 or even 6 speed cassette is good enough). Three reasons: I’m not interested in butchering a cassette just to get a six-speed drivetrain, 10-speed spacing is tighter so shifting speed increases, and, perhaps most importantly, I’m no pro so I need a few extra gears when I actually have to pedal on the flats.

After another long night of installation and getting all the gears perfect and shifting amazingly on the stand, I had to wait on a rear shock and possibly a matching front fork. Well just last week a rather large box arrived, once again from SRAM. I got everything I needed to finish up the Legend plus two other bikes I’m building for next season (get ready for some interesting reviews and great products). This delivery added the new Vivid Air RC2, the BoXXer WC, and the new Code brakes. So yup, I had work to do. Off with the Dorado and on with the BoXXer as well as installing the Vivid and the new Codes. Looking at the bike I realized that this is turning out to be an almost all-SRAM DH bike.

Finishing off the bike with pedals, grips, saddle, and seatpost, I was still a few hours away from completion. Getting the cable and hose lengths just right is important and shouldn’t be rushed. After all, perfection is in the details so I ended up using Gore cables (love those so much!) for the rear derailleur to make sure the shifting is as smooth as possible. In fact these cables from Gore are a bit different from previous versions; unfortunately I can’t tell you how yet (they’re still top-secret). Anyhow, I also spent some time bleeding the Codes after I shortened the hoses; now I was ready for testing!

This weekend I took the Legend II to a local area where I could do some DH pre-testing (rock gardens, step downs, jumps, gaps and table tops abound). After a few runs I realized many of the components need a break-in period before they’re operating at full performance. Needless to say I still had a blast and I can’t wait to get more serious test rides in on my project bike.

I am very greatful to everyone who helped make this bike happen. Folks like Tyler Morland (Avid, Rockshox) Morgan Meredith (SRAM), Jay MacNeil (Banshee), Lois Mabon (Gore), Richard Travis (Manitou), Tom Porter (Answer), Christoph Vogl (Formula), Toby Henderson from THE, and Mark Reidy who reps Easton.

Stay tuned for more reviews on these great products and hopefully some more great AM-DH reviews on other items not yet installed!

Cheers

I recently went looking for a set of carbon handlebars for my hardtail 29er mountain bike and by some lucky accident I ended up with the ProTaper Carbon 720 AM bars from Answer. Although my bike isn’t anywhere close to “all-mountain,” I really like these bars and I almost shudder at the thought of going back to the uncomfortable, timid world of straight XC handlebars.

Technology

The “ProTaper” part of the Carbon 720 AM bars is actually a patented design and manufacturing process that tapers the bar diameter to provide more strength where it’s needed while stripping unnecessary weight from other areas. Answer has proven this design in aluminum bars over the years but the Carbon 720 AM is one of the first products to feature ProTaper in a carbon fiber handlebar. The result is a strong, lightweight carbon bar that won’t leave you cringing every time you tighten your stem bolts (though you still need to be careful). At just 205 grams, this is one of the lightest all-mountain bars you’re likely to find.

Speaking of stem bolts, the Carbon 720 AM handlebar features a rough, grit grip area in the middle for a no-slip stem grip. The upshot is you can get the same level of grip at lower stem bolt torques, saving the agony of cracked carbon tubes. Answer offers a 1-year warranty against breakage, though unsurprisingly the warranty doesn’t cover “non-riding damage.”

Shape

Mountain bike handlebars are sorta like saddles in a way – you need to choose the shape and size that works best for you. I went with the middle-of-the-road, 1-inch rise version based on my bike’s geometry but 1/2″ and 2″ rise versions are available as well. All three sizes feature 4-degrees of up sweep and 8-degrees of back sweep which may not mean much to most riders but Answer claims this combo is both “competition and race proven.” Suffice it to say it’s a comfortable set-up that feels natural on the bike (more on that later).

As the name implies, the Carbon 720 AM bars are 720mm wide which is a good bit wider than say a traditional XC handlebar. Wider bars give you more control over the bike at speed and I noticed they also allowed me to open my chest a bit on lung-searing climbs. If you’re not into the wide bar scene, Answer provides cut marks to make it easy to trim the bars down to size. I did find myself clipping more trees than usual with the bars at full length so in the future I may choose to lop off a few centimeters.

The Ride

I’ve been riding with these bars for a couple months now and I have to say I really love them for a number of reasons. First, the unidirectional carbon seems to take a lot of the sting out of rocks and roots. At the end of epic rides with more than 4 hours in the saddle my arms didn’t feel completely spent and beat up and I noticed less shoulder pain as well. Of course this could be thanks to the refined shape of the bar as well.

Coming off a straight XC-style bar, this medium-rise bar is much more comfortable and made my regular rides more enjoyable. As I mentioned earlier, the wide bars and 8-degree backsweep also helped open up my chest and lungs on climbs (though serious climbers will still prefer the more powerful position offered by an XC-specific bar).

The Answer ProTaper Carbon 720 AM is only offered in black so if you’re working on building that all-white rig you might have to skip these bars for now. The oversized Answer graphics are pretty dope, though I’m not really feeling the gold 1980s Donald Trump color scheme. Fortunately looks aren’t everything.

Whether you’re all-mountain or even cross-country, the Answer ProTaper Carbon 720 AM handlebars have a lot to offer the modern mountain biker. Lightweight, strong, and high performance, these bars won’t disappoint on the trail. Perhaps best of all, these bars offer superior control without sacrificing comfort. Looking for a new set of bars? Here’s your Answer.

Thanks to the folks at Answer for providing these bars for review.

After clocking dozens of miles over the past few months with Answer products on all my bikes, I’ve finally come to grips with my love (pun #1) for the ProTAPER 780 DH ($65 MSRP + $10 for white) and the ProTAPER 720AM bars ($60 MSRP). I’m also smitten with this gem of stem, the Answer DJ stem ($72 MSRP). The all new 2010 line up from Answer really fills the needs of the modern DH / FR / DJ and AM rider and responds to the wider bar with shorter stem trend that more and more riders are discovering. Having spent a lot of time with both the longer/narrower set-ups and the shorter/wider combos, I have to say I’m sold on short and wide.

ProTaper Bars

The ProTaper AM and DH bars share a few vital characteristics. First up, both the AM and DH bars are designed with the same 4° up sweep and 8° back sweep. When paired with a slightly shorter stem, this gives the rider a great comfortable wrist feel without over-flexing the forearm. The DH bars are offered in a 25.4mm rise configuration or a shallower 12.5mm rise for those DH riders who like to keep their weight a little lower up front. The AM bar is also offered with 25.4mm rise or a deeper 50.8mm. I decided to roll with the same 25.4mm rise on both the AM and DH bars.

Both ProTaper bars are made from 7050 aluminum which is very strong with just enough flex to take the edge out of those hard square-edged rocks and drops. At 335 grams and 315 grams respectively for the 780 DH and 720 AM, these are not massive weight savers nor are they overweight lead pipes.

With a choice of black, red, gold (DH only), gray (AM only), and white, Answer offers a decent selection of colors  to choose from.

DJ Stem

With all this talk about handlebars stemming from Answer (pun #2) I really have to talk about a jewel of a component that looks amazing. I dare you to pick up a DJ stem from Answer and try to find a flaw. This stem looks as if it was cut and shaped by a professional diamond cutter. Thanks to precise machining practices, you won’t see any tooling marks on this stem.

Another thing that really caught my attention was the detail that went into the finishing of the DJ stem – every consideration to both safety and weight was clearly considered. The underside of the top cap was even machined a bit to remove unnecessary weight. The use of tapered head bolts instead of regular rounded ones adds to the effect that Tom Porter and the wizards at Answer wanted to give us. Answer also opted to go with a 61mm wide face plate and attachment area that spreads the loads across the bar, securing the bar to the stem like a starving anaconda on fat cow.

The DJ stem weighs in at 210 grams for the 35mm reach and 250 grams for the 50mm reach version and both stems are designed for 31.8mm bar diameters (24.5mm is not offered). The DJ stem is made from stiff, durable 7075 aluminum, the same stuff used to make aircraft landing gear. A cool thing about the DJ stem is that it also comes in four top cap color options (black, white, red, and gold) to coordinate with your bar. With the DJ stem, Answer also includes a 10mm stainless bolt which allows you to run a line through it for a clean, tangle-free brake connection. Perfect for those who intend to to bar spins or styling on those progressive jumps.

Performance

I tested the bars on all three of my bikes (AM, FR, and DJ) and the DJ stem on my jumper. Bottom line: these bars really rocked. Once I got the feel for the wider bars I found it very difficult to consider going narrower; in fact, I won’t consider riding a bar less than 700mm anymore. For a guy like me with wide shoulders and a medium build at about 5’9″, these bars are perfect. I got back a whole bunch more control plus more power to steer and control the bike over the nastiest of terrain. Speaking of nasty, when going over rocky and rooted trails, the ProTaper bars took a significant edge off the vibration as well as the shock (thanks in part to the patented technology on board). These bars keep the weight where it should be and are the perfect wall thickness under the palms of your hands.

Try the ProTaper bars and the DJ stem for yourself – you won’t be disappointed.

I would like to thank the folks at Answer for providing the ProTaper bars and DJ stem for review.

Since 1987 I’ve owned mountain bikes from Yeti, Rocky Mountain, Cannondale, Giant, and Opus – and Answer bars have graced the cockpit on every one of them at one time or another. I still remember when MTB bars were measured against the performance of the Answer Taperlite and Hyperlite models.  Just recently I came across an old Answer mountain bike circa 1993 at my buddy’s shop (pics below – yes those are slicks… don’t ask).

I got a chance to chat with Tom Porter, Product Manager for Answer Products, and we discussed some downright sexy new products the company is introducing to the Gravity / 4X / DJ scene. It turns out he and I share many of the same interests and hobbies as well a passion for mountain bikes and the surrounding technology. Tom shared a bit of his background and how he came to where he is at today at Hayes Bicycle Group, home of Answer Products, Manitou Suspension, Hayes Disc Brakes, Sun Rims, Sun Ringle’ Wheels, and Wheelsmith Spokes.

Coming from a family where Dad raced vintage sports cars and even a Can-Am car, Tom felt the need for speed at an early age. Being handy with a wrench, Tom started working at a bike shop around the same time mountain biking was taking off as a sport. Moving around in the industry with a stint at Waterford Precision Cycles (formally the Schwinn Paramount Factory), Tom then went to work for the Motorsports Composites Company making carbon fiber and kevlar body work for prestigious racing teams like Pratt & Miller and TWR for applications in 12-24 hour endurance racing. Then in 1999, Tom moved to Hayes with a role in Technical Support. Quickly adapting to the new corporate model and with a firm understanding of the bicycle industry, he began managing and overseeing various aspects of “MAG” brake production which is highly regarded as one of the best hydraulic bike brakes ever made.

As Hayes continued to grow, Tom’s next opportunity was in the acquisition and integration of all the new brands and products that are now part of the Hayes Bicycle Group. Once this job was complete and feeling a connection with the Answer brand, Tom has returned back to the product side of the business in his current position as product manager for Answer Products.  Just 15 months in, there are super cool components available and more great things coming!

Here’s what Tom had to say during our conversation.

How does Answer investigate and prioritize what has to be done to improve specific products?

We identify technology advances through the following process.

1. Benchmark program of key competitor’s products and market trends.
2. Internal FEA testing of models and extensive lab testing.
3. Utilization of HTP (Hayes Test Program) Riders for the Research & Development of new components.

What kind of new products and other stuff are in the works for Answer?

We have a list of new components that we are launching throughout the year, starting off with the PRO Taper® Alloy Bars.

Pro Taper alloy bars (are made from a) new 7050 alloy material (using the) same proven (4×8 degree geometry). Rise was lowered and width increased based on market trends and rider feedback. Goal: Lower mass/quicker steering input & comfortable riding position in a bar that looks hot and has a reasonable cost.

Pro Taper Carbon bars: geometry same as the 720AM bars but 33% lighter! By using Pro Taper technology we can put the material in the bars where it is needed most: the clamp and the rise areas. Goal: Lightweight, strong, comfortable bar for all-mountain use that looks the part.

I noticed that the bars pictured above are more geared towards the trial / DH rider – do you have plans to produce a flat XC version?

Yes we have a Pro Taper XC straight bar in the works. 660mm carbon flat bar with 3 degree back sweep. This will be available in early summer.

Along with the bars I noticed that you also release a few stems.

We have two at present, the first one, the Rove DH is made from 7075 alloy material with multi-position 45-50-55mm offset (reach) which allows the rider to adjust the position of the bar. (The) short position allows the rider to get weight over the rear wheel for steep trails and the long offset allows the rider to get weight more forward over the front wheel and suspension to increase front end grip. It also has a 62mm wide face plate which creates a stiff stem & bar interface. At 150 grams it’s one of the lightest DH stems on the market. With a 30mm x 50mm bolt spacing, this allows you to fit the stem on all 2005 Boxxer standard forks as well.

FEA screen shot depicting the loads on the stem.

The second stem in our lineup is the Rove DJ / 4-cross stem. Made from 7075 material with 35mm and 50mm offsets (reach) available. This stem can also be used on DH bikes as well with 1 1/8 steer tubes. 62mm wide face plate and a 10mm stainless steel star nut thru bolt for hydro hose routing for bar spins. Our goal with this stem was to create a tough, versatile stem carrying the Answer DNA.

We have a third stem in the works, our Rove all-mountain stem. Samples will be released soon. Check out the web site for more info.

A while back I had a few pedals sent my way did you want to mention them?

We have our Rove FR pedals – 16mm 6061 deck with concave shape.  That allows great shoe interface on the platform deck. A 105mm x 110mm deck creates nice platform space for all shoe options. 10×10 pin deck with alloy pins are great for grip. Hex head pins allow for easy service and replacement with a metric socket wrench. Our goal was to create a durable, easily serviceable pedal with lots of rock clearance.

You also sent over a pair of grips that I personally liked very much, did you want to elaborate on the grips?

Yeah. We worked with ODI on development of 2 new sets of grips. The cross section on the Fall Line XC has a profile from thin to thick to thin (an ODI first) that reduces hand fatigue dramatically.

The DH grip features thin material and allows for easy hand position changes. Goal: consistent feel / sticky grips / with proven lock-on mechanism.

What other products are in the works. Will you have a seat post or something along those lines?

We have a seat post patent from many years ago that we have been reviewing. Once the above process (#1 above) is completed we will move forward with development of a new Answer seat post.

Are you planing on any other colors in the up and coming year?

Yeah. White is now available in the alloy bars and you might see a new gold bar that looks like the Hayes Prime Brake set to launch this June.

Wrapping up

Keep your eyes peeled for these and other cool products from Answer in the very near future. Not only have they come back, but from what I have seen I feel that there are going to be a few folks out there stepping up their game as well.

I would like to thank Tom Porter for his time and insight.

Answer is a name that has been under the radar for a little while but they’re back again with an all new product line up. Here are two Answer products that I’m sure will pique your interest: The Fall Line DH Grip ($30 MSRP) and the Rove FR Pedals ($95 MSRP). Grips and pedals are the two main contact points between body and bike and Answer delivers the goods.

The Fall Line DH grip is specifically designed for the FR and DH crowd with a slightly thinner body than most grips you’ll find. This enables the rider to keep a firm grip while still allowing rapid hand position changes when the need arises. I found the grip felt a bit tacky which actually let me to slacken my grip a bit – no white knuckling, yet I still felt secure. Speaking of security, these lock on grips feature the familiar locking ring format that’s tried and true so there’s little chance they’ll come loose during the ride.

Installing the grips took just a heartbeat with only one allen key necessary. Just make sure you install the grips with the ANSWER logo facing forward. As a side benefit I found the logo added bit of extra grip due to the raised print. If you’re using a carbon bar, be sure to torque the grips down with a wrench slowly, checking often to make sure the grip does not rotate. There is such a thing as too tight, especially when you’re dealing with carbon bars.

Fall Line DH grip deets:

The Rove FR pedals felt great underfoot on the trails. With 10 pins and a wide, concave, low profile (16mm) platform, these pedals felt solid when the going got rough. Unlike some other pedals I’ve used, the pins on the Roves didn’t look like they would make mince meat of my legs if a foot slipped off. Still, the slightly lower profile aluminum pins offered good grip on my shoes.

Another cool thing about the hex pins is that you can change them with a socket wrench rather than an allen key. On most pedals the pins are nothing more than long allen screws that are inserted into the pedal which allows the screws to back out easily on the trail. The Rove FR pedal pins have a positive “lock” onto the pedal to avoid this situation.

The 6061 aluminum body can take more abuse compared to other magnesium bodies and won’t show damage as easily. The combination of a cartridge bearing and DU bushing promise to keep these pedals spinning smoothly for a long time.

Rove FR pedal specs from ANSWER:

Thanks to the folks at Answer for providing these products for review.

So this may be a bit on the late side but seeing that most of this stuff still hasn’t hit the stores yet I thought I’d share these pics. What I have here is a compilation of my favorite photos from the show with some brief commentary so sit back and enjoy!

By far the coolest frame set I saw (next to the Banshee Legend) is the Intense 951 pictured above. I found myself just staring at this bike for far to long and almost missed my next appointment. Up close to this frame set you can see the quality work that went in to making this one of the most desirable DH frames around. With 150mm G3 rear axle spacing, one point five head tube, and over 8 inches of travel provided by an ohhh so nice Cane Creek double barrel rear shock this bike looked delicious.

Above, the same Intense 951 in red. Still nice, and this one was built up with Shimano Saint components and an Industry 9 wheel set with a Fox 40 RC2 up front and a DHX RC4 in rear. Can you say Sweet?!

Here is something that I personally want and not just for the red and orange anodized finish. The Ellsworth Rogue is a freeride bike with attitude. Not only does it look great but I had a chance to test ride one like this at Bootleg and it was super fun (the only down side – the run was too short). With 8 inches of rear travel and the Fox 40 RC2, this bike is a kick-butt machine.

It was hard to stop looking at Intense with all their models so close yet oh so far away. Here we have a pair of Uzzi frames. The Uzzi in blue has a Fox DHX Air 5 and the Red has the standard DHX 4 coil. You can also get this bike with the Cane Creek double barrel, at a cost of course.  For those who plan on taking big hits and hitting the park all day long you may not need look any further than the Uzzi.

This Ibis above boasts builds in the 25 pound range with 5.5 inches of DW link rear travel for those who want a quicker, snappier ride on a bike that won’t punish you too much after riding all day long. The Ibis can be ordered in various trim levels from Sram XX or X-9 group parts to Shimano XTR, XT or SLX.

I love cut-aways of bike stuff and there were plenty at Interbike to ogle. Here you can see a cut-away of the Fox RP23 with boost valve technology on your left, the new improved DHX AIR RC4 in the middle, and a 32mm F series front fork with Fit technology (borrowed from the 36 and 40mm forks) on the right. The Fit damper now allows the engineers to further save weight on the 32mm line-up by reducing the amount of fluid needed in that damper housing. Get close to a new 32mm fork and you will also notice that the engineers changed up the way the fork works as well by placing the rebound adjuster on the bottom (previous models placed the lock-out on the bottom). Check out FoxRacingShox.com for further information.

Walking around Interbike you couldn’t help but notice the Mavic display. Looking at the line up for next year they have really improved the wheels, especially for the trail and enduro riders out there. The new Crossmax ST wheels are even lighter than before, now at just 1615 grams. Mavic also changed up the graphics on the rims.

The new Deemax Ultimate at 1915 grams a set is absolutely crazy light for a full-on DH wheel set. These wheels come with all the bells as whistles to make them both strong enough and light enough for the demands of the DH circuit. The Deemax wheels also sport my favorite ITS4 cassette body and ISM (inter spoke milling with central spine) which reduces mass on the rim without loosing strength.  Check out Mavic.com for more info on these and the rest of the line up.

Here is just a random photo of the new carbon Ellsworth Enlightenment. What caught my eye here is the fine machine work on a part that just holds the brake and rear wheel. This attention to detail is second to none.

This bike was another one of those that you had to stop and drool over for a while. The Banshee Rune pictured here was shown in flat black and bright orange components. The Crankbrothers Iodine AM wheels along with Race Face AM cranks and bars (not shown) really made this bike and the components just added to the already awesome construction of this frame. You have to check out the Banshee website for more information on this bike as well as the rest of their line-up.

Hubba hubba… umm sorry. But just in case you have no clue what this is, this is the new aluminum version of the Dorado DH fork from Manitou. I am dying to do a review on this unit. This fork has everything a racer would want: high and low speed compression, rebound, and top-out and bottom-out control. To top it all off, these forks are assembled right here in the States. With 36mm stanchions and an inverted design this fork will take a kicking and keep on bouncing.

Answer is back with all new products this year. New thin and stout pedals, super wide 780mm DH bars, and 720mm AM bars are also available. The bars will come in two versions: a one-inch and two-inch rise for the AM Bar and half-inch and one-inch rise for the DH bar. A direct mount stem for the Dorado allows you to change the reach from 45, 50, 55mm while providing a strong grip to the bar with its wide face plate.

Sun-Ringle has totally revamped the line-up with new hubs, rims and colors that promise to impress everyone. The hub shot above gives just a taste of what you can expect to see in 2010. Straight pull spokes, anodized hubs and aluminum cassette bodies.

What’s not to like about the new Hayes Stroker Ace look for this year? Now in jet black with bronze-ish piston covers, this is one great looking, high performance brake set. Along with the Stroker Ace the entire line up now boasts new graphics and now the Stroker Grams come in all white.

Well that does it for my list of favorites from Interbike – hope you enjoyed the pics!